Small electronic components, such as capacitors, inductors, piezoelectric devices, varistors and thermistors, commonly include a body formed of a dielectric material, internal electrodes disposed in the body, with external electrodes disposed on a surface of the body and connected to the internal electrodes. Among such electronic components, a multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) is widely used as an electronic component in mobile communication devices, such as computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and mobile phones due to inherent advantages thereof, such as small size, high capacitance, and ease of mounting.
In general, an MLCC is mounted on an electrode pad of a circuit board by soldering, and thereby electrically connected to another external circuit. Here, cracks may be generated in a body or a soldering material of the MLCC mounted on the circuit board due to deformation or warpage of a circuit board, changes in external temperature, and the like. Such cracks may cause serious problems, such as electrical short-circuits of the MLCC and the generation of a critical defect leading to firing of the circuit.